Law in American History, Vol. I

From the Colonial Years Through the Civil War

G. Edward White

Present provocative thesis as to the centrality of law in American culture and society

Law in American History, Vol. I

From the Colonial Years Through the Civil War

G. Edward White

Description

In speaking about the law, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once said, "To know what it is, we must know what it has been, and what it tends to become." G. Edward White, a leading legal historian, presents Law in American History, a two-volume, comprehensive narrative history of American law from the colonial period to the present. In this first volume, White explores the key turning points in roughly the first half of the American legal system, from the development of order in the colonies, to the signing of the Constitution, to the dissolution of the Union just before the Civil War. In addition to these events, White analyzes issues like race, gender, and slavery that undergird the development of American jurisprudence. Along the way, he provides a compelling case for why law can be seen as the key to understanding the development of American life as we know it, shaping virtually every aspect of the American experience from the way we handle international relations to the food we choose to eat and drink. Thought-provoking and artfully written, Law in American History, Vol. 1 is an essential text for both students of law and general readers alike.

Law in American History, Vol. I

From the Colonial Years Through the Civil War

G. Edward White

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. The Colonial Years 2. Law and the Conditions of Agricultural Household Life, 1750-1800 3. Law and the Founding of the American Republic I: Toward Independence and Republican Government 4. Law and the Founding of the American Republic II: From the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution 5. The Supreme Court Emerges 6. Law and Entrepreneurship, 1800-1850 7. Law and the Dissolution of the Union I: The Political Parties, Congress, and Slavery 8. Law and the Dissolution of the Union II: Slavery, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court 9. The Civil War: Setting the Stage 10. The Civil War: Legal Issues

Law in American History, Vol. I

From the Colonial Years Through the Civil War

G. Edward White

Author Information

G. Edward White, Professor of Law, University of Virginia Law School

G. Edward White is David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia Law School. His books include Oliver Wendell Holmes (OUP 1999), Alger Hiss's Looking Glass Wars (OUP 2005), and several other works of biography and law.